He didnt
by Juliet'lovestory
Summary: He had promised her he would come back alive from the war, and she had promised herself that she would wait for him, that she would wait to confess her feelings. Now she hoped she hadnt and she slowly was starting to recover. NejiTen oneshot. Enjoy.


Hello fanfiction world! Recenlty I have been downright sad because of what happened with Neji and Tenten, of all couples of Naruto I was sure that in the end THEY were going to be the ones making it out alive! But even in the end (I had hope that somehow, someway he would live, resusitate or something and he didnt)

This is a very short story about Tenten and Nejis relation ship and how she feels when he's gone.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

This wasn't how it was supposed to be. Today wasn't how it was supposed to be.

That's was something Tenten had been thinking for quite a long time now. It was something she had thought since the war ended. Since Neji got himself killed.

She always said it like that. He got himself killed. She couldn't still forgive him, not quite. She had been his partner for such a long time that she knew that no, no one had killed him, he could have lived but he had decided to sacrifice himself. _For a good reason._ She thought bitterly to herself. And she knew that. She knew that he had died as a hero, that he have had a good death and still she was mad at him. He had promised to make it out alive... and he didnt.

He didnt.

She knew the back story. She knew the reason Hinata and Naruto were still walking around here was because he died protecting them, the people he loved and still…

She woke up from this thoughts as a few kids ran past her in the street, she was seating on a bench, flowers in her hands, she stared down at the lilies and sighed. Ino had been so kind giving in them to her…

Finally with a determined face she rose from the bench and began walking around town. It looked like the town slowly and painfully was putting itself back together, she sometimes wondered if she was the only one reliving the war all over again every night in her dreams.

She turned on a corner and she saw Lee talking with Kiba, as soon as she spotted them she jumped on the rooftop. She didn't feel like talking to any of them.

Lately everything around her had lost that enchantment; everything was bitter words between her and Lee. Well, mostly her. Lee had been trying to reach to her but she would just turn away from him, from Gai, her own sensei that loved her like a sister. Without Neji Team Gai will never be Team Gai again and for a moment she had wondered if this is how Naruto and Sakura had felt when Sasuke had decided to leave the village.

She could remember Hinata telling her all about it, how it had happened, what it had meant and she had remembered not crying. She couldn't because a part of her wanted to believe it was a joke.

That he would show up suddenly out of the threes and tell her if she was ready for a spar, to tell her if she was bored enough to go and get something to eat. Only now she thought if it had been his subtle way to ask her out back then…

_"__Bored?"_

_She had jumped a little from the branch of the tree she was leaning in for a nap and looked down, she caught Neji's lavenders eyes looking up at her, she just smirked and shrugged in his direction._

_"__Waiting, actually."_

_Neji jumped on the tree lightly and then sat besides her, his hand on one propped knee and the other resting against her, just a few centimeters apart, Tenten wondered if she would ever be able to cross that line. He closed his eyes in a relaxed manner with his arms crossed over his chest._

_"__Hmmm." Neji answered and Tenten sighed. Really? That's what she gets. She waited a few moments but nothing. She sighed again._

_"__I was waiting for you." She supplied like he knew she would and he opened his left eye to look at her. _

_"__Why?" _

_"__Today is your birthday" Tenten stated dumbly at him and he just closed his eyes. She smiled proudly because it was the only birthday she could remember. Lee and Gai always made a huge show when their birthdays were coming up._

_He just shrugged. _

_"__So?"_

_Tenten glared at him and kicked him lightly on the arm. Leave the Hyugas to be so cold. She never could understand why Sasuke and Neji just couldn't get along they could have a competion of "hmmm" and "hns" for hours and still get a bunch of topics going on._

"So?_ God, I don't know _why _im even surprised" She rambled to herself and finally dropped her back against the three. "It's important."_

_"__Why?"_

_"__Because its another year you get to be alive!" She crossed her arms and scoffed. _

_He just stared at her for a moment and smirked. "I didn't take you for such an enthusiast about birthdays… "_

_"__Im serious. You should be throwing a party or something, we are ninjas after all, Neji, we never know how much time we have left."Tenten rambled and Neji smirked again._

_"__I didn't take you for a wise one either."_

_Tenten hit him in the arm playfully. _

_Neji just shrugged unamused "So you were waiting to lecture me?"_

_She shook her head, he was right, she shouldn't and finally she sighed. "No. I actually want to give you something. Since today _is _your birthday."_

_Neji crossed his arms and smirked playing annoyed. "Now im going to have to buy you something for your birthday…"_

_She wondered if she should or not and finally leaned on him taking a little box from her backpack and pushed it into his hands, Neji took it and before he had time to say anything else she hugged him out of the blue. "Happy Birthday, Neji!"_

_Smiling and pulling back Tenten giggled. Neji nodded amused at her behavior. If anyone was going to hug him he was sure only Tenten had the nerve. He looked down at the present. For being a small present sure it weighted._

_ "__I hope you like it!" Tenten had no idea if he would but she sure hoped. It had been a difficult task, more because she couldn't quite decide if she should or not, in the end she had given everything hell and had gone with it. Now she was anxiously waiting for him to unpack the present and just know._

_He undid the blue ribbons and tore apart the green paper… and finally opened the carved wooden box. Giving Tenten a glance before his fingers opened the lid and his eyes gleamed with recognition and then scoffed a bit. __Leave it to Tenten to give him a kunai, however, this was after all Tenten, surely the Kunai had something especial, maybe it weighted less and lasted more than normal kunais, maybe there was no need to sharpen it, maybe it could cut impossible wires._

_But it was when he had took it in his hand that he had understood. In the handle it was carved his fathers name. He had stopped fridig on his tracks._

_"__I… uh.. don't know if you, uhm…" Tenten started to talk as she turned slightly red, he had gone cold the second his eyes had traveled to the name. Shit. This was a bad idea. "Well you know I get along with Hinata and uh… she gave this to me, it.. belonged to your father—obviously—" Please someone make me stop. "And you know, its tradition that when a son comes off age you hum…"_

_But she couldn't continue, Neji wasnt listening to her apparently his gaze was clouded and fixed on the kunai, then she leaned a bit and sighed._

_"__Im sorry, god, im a terrible terrible teammate, aren't i?."_

_At this words Nejis head had shot up._

_"__What?"_

_"__It was not my right, nor my place to give you this. I am sorry. I shouldn't…" She said until her voice died out. Again not meeting his eyes and finally after a long, long minute she heard something that rarely came out of Nejis mouth. _

_He laughed. _

_She looked panicked at his face. What? What was it? She thought that he would scream at her, be mad or something... and he didnt._

_"__Neji?" _That's it, he lost it and its my fault_. See? it was proving to be a terrible idea._

_After a while he had stopped and just started at her amused. He saw how flustered and shy she looked and over all in panic with his sudden attack but he couldn't have been more happy it. This was something he had thought had been lost a long time ago and he was sure that even if he had asked to the elders to give it back he would have never gotten it He was in the branch family and he had no especial treatment or rights like Hinata did._

_He looked at her with the kunai firmly in his hand, his fingers tracing his fathers name, he glanced at it before he hesitantly hugged with one arm a very stunned Tenten closing his eyes. Tenten couldn't understand what exactly she had just done, she couldnt comprenhend what this meant for him._

_Tenten couldn't even respond, she was in shock at his actions, she couldn't understand and before she could utter a word or respond he had parted away but still leaning close to her, a relaxed expression on his face._

_"__Thank you, Tenten Im grateful for this." He held the kunai tighter and he glanced down at it. "I thought I would never get it back… since I'm not in the main branch. I bet Hinata-sama will be in a huge problem if the elders find out."_

_Neji had stopped talking and he leaned again near her and gave her a smile. Tenten started at his eyes and he smiled with them too. It was weird, how Neji's smile could be reflected in them too at rare times and she was grateful she was the reason behind it now._

_"__See? This is why birthdays are important." Tenten smiled and then clapped her hands knowingly and Neji shook his head muttering under his breath how she was going to be the death of him._

_Then they had both just leaned on the three again as Neji twirled the kunai in his hands and Tenten had let him get lost in his track of thoughts as she got lost on her own. It was near five in the afternoon and Tenten was wondering how she could spent more time so Neji wouldn't go to the Hyuga's compound yet. Hinata was organizing a little party with Lee's and Sakura's help in Lee's apartment so she still had a least three hours to spare._

_Finally after half an hour or so of blissful silence in which Neji looked and twirled the kunai and Tenten sharpened hers, Neji had stood up and offered a hand. Tenten rose an eyebrow at this._

_"__It cant be called a birthday without a spare right?"_

_Tenten had smirked at this and had took his hand to get on her feet smirking. Confidence radiating from her as her eyes glinted with excitement. Well they would be arriving the party incredibly tired then. "Glad to know you love to end your day defeated."_

Finally she had reached her destination.

Tenten's memory stopped as her feet had dragged her in front of that said person now. Well, not exactly, but she couldn't just said that word. It was silly but she just couldn't and refused. She sighed as she stopped and let the breeze of the afternoon pass by her.

She just couldn't said "Neji's tomb."

She looked down at the cold stone that was waiting for her and she smiled bitterly. How could she say it? Neji's tomb. Whenever people asked her where she was going she said 'To see Neji' or 'At Neji's' as weirds as it sounded because saying 'tomb' would just make it all fall into her. Tomb. The tomb that contained Nejis body. Hs body was down there… everything she had loved was there. She knew he was gone forever but still…

She had lowered to the ground till her knees made contact with the soft grass. She had never been grateful to the Hyuga family, she had known Neji for the longest of time and she knew how bad he had it in there but still the place where he was resting was beautiful. His tomb was exactly on the other end of his father and she thought it was his right place to be buried. She thanked Hinata immensely on this when she found out.

She smiled tiredly to his name carved on the stone and delivered a small wooden box after putting the flowers next to huge roses that surely Lee had brought earilier, he had chosen this time of the afternoon because he knew everyone else had come early.

"Happy birthday, Neji!" She had said like last time and then she sat more comfortably on the floor smiling widely. "Sorry I came late, I found Ino before in the morning and lost track of time. You know how she likes to ramble."

She giggled as the stone remained silent, listening to her words, she liked to imagine that Neji was listening somehow, that after all he had not left her.

"Now, here it is, your present." She opened the lid, just like last time but now inside it was another kunai, this one had her name graved on it.

"Here's the best I could think off…" She had trailed after long minutes where she stared at the sky, it was near six in the afternoon and the night was starting to creep in the horizon just every so slightly, she shivered. "You know? I wanted to give you your own kunai but no matter how hard I tried… how hard I looked… it was impossible Neji. Im sorry."

Tenten had never been able to finds Neji's lost kunai in the battle, she had tried, she had gone back to the place he had lost it… where he had died and she had never been able to find it. How could she? There were thousands of kunais scattered around the floor, such a mess, such a great area to look for and so many memories had crossed her mind as she had looked on the very exact place he had lost his life. She couldn't take it and she had given up.

She smiled at the tomb and finally she let emotions get over her, as memories of both of them crossed her mind. When they had spared together, when they had laughed and eated and slept and fight and play and live together.

"You promised you would come back alive..." She said ina small voice as a tone of anger laced with her soft voice. "And I promised myself I would let you know I loved you when we met again... and we didnt."

She cried silently, finally after a few moments she had blinked trying to get rid of the tears and smiled bitterly down to the tomb, she was in silence for the longest time as time passed away and finally she had put her hand on his name and smiled.

"I love you." She said in a slow voice as a tear ran down her face. She was a strong woman and she shouldn't be doing this. She laughed a bit. "At least I kept my promise."

If Neji had seen her cry she wondered would would he say... or if he would have said anything at all...

"This is the first time I ever cry in front of you…" Tenten said in a low voice and then smiled as a tear ran down her eyes. She felt so week… today would be a little more than a year that he had been out of her life. She turned to wipe away her tears and saw other two people walking down the line of tombs. She was surprised and if Neji had been really there she would have glanced at him.

It was Hinata that was carrying a huge bouquet of flowers wearing a lovely black dress and besides her a very solemn Naruto dressed in black. All black. It was a sight seeing them both together. Tenten had stood up hastily.

They were still far away and they were talking in hushed tones oblivious to anything around them. Silently she looked down and smiled. "See? I told you birthdays were important. Great things tend to happen."

Neji had told her once that he hoped that one day Naruto could just open his eyes and notice Hinata. It looks that after the war this was starting to happen. Finally! He would have been so happy. They both used to gush like girls about the issue and they had made bets on it of who would confess to who.

She had smirked and looked at his tomb for one more second before she turned and quickly dashed away, she didn't want Naruto or Hinata to see her. It would be awkward in a way and she didn't want any word of condolence. However, she had stopped on a branch tree to see the couple getting near and finally stopped where she had been standing just a few moments ago. The air carried their words to where she was standing lazily above

"Happy birthday Neji-nisan…" Hinata said in a cute low voice and kneeled to deliver the flowers, sunflowers. Naruto had nodded like if Neji had been there.

"Happy birthday, sorry I didn't have time to get you anything." All she could see was Naruto's back but she could bet he was smiling. They were in silence as Hinata looked at all the flowers surrounding Neji's grave and finally at the box.

"Looks like someone bought a real present…" She wondered outloud and Naruto beat her at it as he kneeled and took the box in his hands curiosity getting the best of him.

"Naruto-kun, you shouldn—"

"Just a peek Hinata, promise." Naruto had told her and then he had addressed Neji. "Right? Its not like you ever minded anyway."

Tenten smiled, she didn't mind and she was sure Neji didn't either, she was about to go when Hinata gasped and Tenten wondered why.

"It has Tentens name on it." Naruto flat stated and Hinata was silent for a long, long time. Tenten blushed a little. Hinata of all people should know what this meant. Maybe she had over done it. However she was relieved when she heard Hinata's statement.

"It's beautiful."

They were silent for a long time and then talked in hushes tones to Neji about their days. Tenten was shivering harder now and she took her leave, she would leave the couple at it and she could maybe look for Sakura to ask her to spare with her after she was done at the hospital. She needed to get tired if she wanted a good night sleep. It was less common now but still on days as hard as this one she needed to get a distraction from him.

Hence that she never heard that fifteen minutes later when Naruto was standing up and began to walk away because of the cold Hinata had stood up and had smiled down putting extra care in leaving the box in front of the grave.

"I told you and you never believed me. Neji Nii-san." She had said as she waved bye at the tomb and walked to Naruto who was waiting patiently for her. "She loved you the same way you loved her."

.-.-.-.-.-.

For me it was very sad because I just uuggh, I just knew they both loved each other! Maybe im wrong? But that is what I believe.

Review please?

Thanks for reading!

-Juliet'lovestory-


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